


Fairy Tales Retold

by FanFicReader01



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Fairy Tale Retellings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-07-27 12:19:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7617862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanFicReader01/pseuds/FanFicReader01
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some of the famous and classic fairy tales retold</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> I read the amazing work "Ever after" of the mangaka Est Em and got inspired to do something alike!  
> At the moment I've planned five "main" chapters, each chapter will be a different fairy tale! This might change in the process, though :P  
> Hope you will enjoy!

Small list of the fairy tales I'll try to retell :D 

    * Beauty and the Beast
    * The Little Mermaid
    * Little Red Riding Hood
    * Cinderella



 

Some fairty tales will be changed very much, while others will be more true to their original story. Most of the time, I'll use the Disney version as a starting point.


	2. Chapter one: The last grain of sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based off: Beauty and the Beast
> 
> Rafe wasn’t born ugly, but he became a monster as he grew. He hated the way his father treated him and how his own mother neglected him. One day his parents became afraid of him and locked him up in their mansion. Rafe’s parents faked the death of their child so everyone would eventually forget about their only son.  
> Sam, a young reporter, thinks otherwise. Years later after the “accident” at the Adler Estate, he digs up the story again and wants to know the real truth about it al

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just made the first chapter the second, so I could add a nice summary for it :P  
> Enjoy the first story!

_Raphael Adler died at the early age of fifteen in an unfortunate fire when playing in the shack of the Adler Estate. His body disappeared together with the shack. The family mourns his death. They eagerly try to find who or what caused this fire that took their son from them so early. The funeral takes place on the sixteenth of July 1990._

 

Sam folds the small article and puts it in his jacket. He drives his car up to the gate of the Adler Estate. The place has been abandoned for ten years now. Two years after the death of Raphael his parents left the Estate and went on living somewhere else. Upon this day no one knows where they went. Everybody thinks they probably couldn’t cope with their loss nor did they want to be confronted with it every day when they looked outside the window.

But Sam thinks otherwise. The cause of the fire has never been truly revealed. Most people think it was an accident, others think an envious neighbor or concurrent of Raphael’s father was behind it. Sam however thinks Raphael’s very own parents were behind the fire.

To confirm his theory, he has set out to discover the truth behind the tragedy that struck the Adlers twelve years ago. Back then Sam was only twenty.

 

Sam parks his car and walks to the iron gates. Of course, locked. The young reporter takes a few steps back and inspects the stone walls that surround the estate. Maybe he can climb over those walls?

He enters his car again and parks the vehicle as close to the wall as possible. Once he’s outside, he climbs onto the vehicle. The wall has a few missing bricks that can serve as extra grips for Sam. With ease he lands on the other side of the wall. He’s in.

He quickly parades to the front doors of the large mansion. Sam isn’t surprised to see a large lock with chains on the doors. Not even the strongest push can open those sturdy doors. Once again, Sam has to find another way in. But he has experience and he has come prepared.

Sam finds an open window that probably leads to the first floor of the building. He takes out his grappling hook and with the second attempt he swings the hook nicely into the window. After some effort he finally reaches the window and he pushes himself through it.

The landing isn’t very soft and Sam swears he heard something crack in his body. He crawls back up, unhooks the grappling hook and stores it back into his bag.

He wipes away some dust from his clothes and looks around.

The interior of the Adler mansion resembles that of a palace. Everywhere he sees the Jugendstil pattern. Although most of the floor and furniture here are dusty, it still looks fancy as hell.

Sam wonders why mister and misses Adler left all this expensive stuff here. Unless, someone still lives here and doesn’t care to clean the place? Or the Adler family is so rich they can easily purchase new furniture in their new home?

Sam takes notes and puts the notebook back in the bag. He now fishes out a flashlight.

He curses when the light flickers and then extinguishes. Luckily he has some spare batteries with him. The light only requires three batteries but Sam takes out all six new ones.

‘Shit!’ one of the batteries rolls away through the door. Sam jolts as he hears the battery fall down something. He quickly packs the remaining batteries, activates his flashlight, takes his bag and then goes off to look for the battery.

The damned thing has fallen off a long spiral staircase. When Sam reaches the ground floor the battery is gone. He now feels something looming in the shadows behind his back. When he turns his back he swears he saw some shimmering eyes. He lets his light trail over the shadows. Nothing.

A flash behind him. But once again, Sam is too late to catch a glimpse of the thing.

‘Is anyone here?!’ he yells. His voice echoes.

It somehow sends a shiver down his spine. ‘I’m imagining things’ Sam mumbles to himself as he starts to explore the place. ‘There ain’t no damn ghosts, right?’

 

The living room is gigantic. Sam finds a small family portrait hanging edgewise on the wall. Two elegant adults, a man and a woman. Sam sees how they wear their best suit and dress. The father has a tense face and his wife looks like she is forced to smile. She seems to have austere lips.

Between the couple sits a young man. He wears a white suit, hands neatly placed on his knees. The face however is invisible. It is as if something with claws has ripped the face out of the painting. When Sam inspects the large dinner table he detects more trails of destruction. A part of the table has several scratches, probably from some wild animal. But how does an animal with such claws get in? Sam was sure he only saw one window open.

‘There can’t be another opening’ Sam says to himself. He walks back to the painting and lets his fingertips caress the painting. The fingers stop at the spot where Raphael’s face should be.

‘Could it be… that you’re still alive?’ Sam wonders out loud. He then shakes his head. How stupid would that be? The boy died in that horrible fire. Why would his parents do such atrocious thing?

As Sam observes the painting more he thought he could see something _move_ behind it. No way!

With much hesitation he puts a finger through the missing part of Raphael’s face. It’s hollow!

Sam takes off the painting and sees how there is a large hole in the wall. He lets the light shine through it. Carefully he sticks his head into the hole and narrows his eyes.

There is a whole path in the wall! Why? Did it used to be a secret passage or an escape route? The hole was too small though for Sam to fit.

The reporter startles as he feels something moving by his feet. When he looks down he lets out a laugh. It is just a rat.

 

\-----

 

Sam has resided two days already in the mansion without finding a clue. The only evidence that the Adlers had lived here Is that creepy family portrait in the living room. To Sam’s surprise there had been some food products stalled into the fridge. And from the looks of it, they were not so old.

Sam didn’t risk it to eat that food though and he ate the food he had brought with him instead.

While Sam eats the last sandwich he had, he lets his mind wander. He already inspected the whole living room, the dining room, the hallway and the first floor. He estimated there were three floors left. Which also meant there would be several more chambers to investigate.

‘How do I survive this place?’ Sam questions. The whole time he feels like he is being watched.

 _Maybe I should try to find an entrance to the passage inside the walls?_ After he finishes his “breakfast” he goes to the portrait. The passage goes left and right. Sam decides to pick the right.

He walks a bit further away from the painting while knocking on the wall. Still hollow.

After a half hour of searching and knocking on the walls, Sam gives up. He slides down the wall and sits down. This whole search was more troublesome than expected. Maybe he should just go home and…

‘No!’ Sam suddenly yells at himself. ‘I won’t give up. Not yet!’ Sam crawls back up, throws his bag over his shoulder and goes to the stairs.

He looks up. ‘I am Samuel Drake! And I am _not_ a quitter!’ he shouts to nothing. Again there is the echo. Then he grins. He sure isn’t a quitter when it comes to smoking. Come to think of it, he still has a few cigarettes with him. He lights one and relaxes a bit.

 

\-----

 

On the third day Sam wakes up and finds himself on the bed of the Adler couple. He groans and coughs. Dust flies around and Sam has to wave his hand. As a reflex he grabs for his flashlight and bag. And he grabs nothing. The nightstand is empty. Panic overwhelms the reporter as he looks around but the bag and the flashlight are nowhere to be found.

He jumps out of the bed. He wants to hurry to the stairs but is stopped. His body won’t move. Sam feels like he’s being watched and observed. That eerie feeling has always been there since he entered the mansion. He gulps. He hears a… laughter? Then the painting on the opposite wall falls on the ground. Sam jumps in the air. He runs over to the fallen painting with the flowers. A hole in the painting and in the wall. A peeping hole!

‘Come back, you thief!’ Sam snaps but the figure who must’ve been behind the painting is already gone. Sam curses and falls on the floor.

It takes him some minutes before he calms down a bit. He drags his hands over his face and groans.

‘Damnit.’

 

The rest of the day Sam is hunting shadows. He can hear laughter from within the walls and he also sees figures flash before his eyes. But he is always too late.

Whoever it might be, the asshole will pay for playing with Sam like he is a ragdoll. Sam swears that if he gets the bastard he will beat him up.

As the evening falls, Sam feels himself get tired. His arms and legs feel like lead. When he checks himself in a broken mirror in one of the many bathrooms of the estate he sees there are some bags underneath his eyes.

He puts a hand on his stomach. He is hungry and he run out of food. He didn’t expect to be trapped inside so long. He jolts as he hears something shattering on the fifth floor. The only floor he hadn’t searched.

 

After he got the courage up Sam makes his way to the fifth floor _without_ flashlight. But Sam isn’t stupid. He has armed himself with a broken leg of a table. When both feet reach the floor he feels how his hands tremble a bit and how they grasp very tightly onto the wooden stick.

It is really dark, but luckily he already got used to the darkness. There was nothing special to be seen. One part of the hall got barricaded with various furniture like stools, small tables and even a lamp. Sam decided he wouldn’t try to clear that passage. It would only draw unwanted attention. He would make sure this time _he_ would surprise the host and not the other way around. Although the creep was probably watching him or expecting him already. Sam searches every accessible room. He notices how a lot of the doors here are locked. On one of the doors there was red paint sprayed. **GET OUT! DON’T ENTER!**

Sam follows obediently. But then he hears something shatter again.

It comes from the other side of the fifth floor. Sam goes check it out. He sneaks to the other side as silent as possible. He almost trips over a stair. He sees how the stairway lead him to a smaller door than the others he has seen so far. There’s something odd about the door.

There is a hole in the bottom of the wooden door. It’s big enough to fit in a plate for a … prisoner?!

In the center of the same door is a small vision panel with a hinged flap. There is a prison in the mansion, Sam thinks as he stares in horror.

He feels how his heart starts to beat faster. Sweat forms in his neck and on his forehead. His hands are getting damp from the tension. His grip around the stick tightens. As he shifts closer to the small panel, he can hear heavy breathing and growling.

Sam’s trembling hand opens the vision panel. He now sees a man sitting in a room, larger than it appeared from the outside. The man has long blonde hair. It’s combed back. He only wears a ripped jeans. On his whole body grows rigid brownish hair. Sam notices the sharp nails on his feet.

All of a sudden the wild figure turns its head and makes eye contact with Sam who gasps in surprise and in fear.

Two cold eyes stare at him. They bore themselves into Sam and pin him down to the floor. Sam doesn’t dare to move an inch. He feels like if he would move just the slightest the ferocious man will kill him in an instant.

The glare changes. It softens. Now two sad eyes look into Sam’s. It makes Sam’s stiffened posture relax a bit, but only for a second. The person in the other room stands up and walks over to the door.

Firm hands with razor sharp claws grip the bars of the vision panel. The man, it is definitely a man, growls at Sam.

Although the wild man is smaller than Sam, he certainly has an intimidating presence.

The man smiles and bares his sharp looking teeth. ‘Samuel Drake’ a croaky voice escapes from the man’s lips.

_How, how did he know did he know my name? Of course, because I yelled it yesterday, you idiot!_

‘Are you… Raphael Adler? Son of Albert Adler and Sophia Adler?’ Sam manages to say after some silence. The stranger releases the bars and nods. His eyes all sad.

‘Yes. I _was_ once the son of-‘ Raphael doesn’t finish his sentence. Instead he curses the names of his parents and turns Sam his back. He growls and throws a chair over. He huffs and walks over to Sam again.

‘I’m surprised you survived here three days’ he says and Sam doesn’t know if he should take that as a compliment.

‘Well, I had food for two days and-‘ Sam gets interrupted by Raphael. ‘I mean that you weren’t a scaredy cat. Even though I teased you’ he chuckles. Sam’s eyes widen and exclaims: ‘Teasing? You called that teasing? It was like I was living in a haunted mansion!’

Raphael now laughs out loud. ‘Well, this place is cursed, you know.’ There is an awkward silence between the two men.

‘Why are you here, anyway? Did my parents sent you to kill me?’ Raphael raises his voice as he speaks. He sounds angry.

‘No. I’m a reporter and-‘ again Sam gets interrupted by Raphael again. He jumps back as Raphael launches himself at the door. The man slams open the door and grasps Sam by his collar. Out of surprise Sam drops his weapon.

He spots a glimpse of a red shade in the man’s eyes.

‘Are you going to expose me? Gonna lock me up _again_?’ Raphael growls. _Was he locked up in here all that time?_

‘No! no! I’m not… I, I just wanted to know the truth. But if you don’t want your, uhm, secret to be revealed, then I won’t expose anything. You can take my word for it’ Sam breathes heavily as he tries to defend himself.

‘Really? How do I know if I can trust you?’ Raphael narrows his eyes. ‘I, I dunno, b- but you can t- t- trust me! Really! I’m not even a famous reporter for that matter!’ Sam stammers. ‘Just, please don’t kill me, okay?’ Raphael loosens his grip on Sam and eventually releases the taller man.

Sam pants and lets his hand go over his collar.

‘Alright, I have a deal. If you live with me for a few days, maybe a few weeks or even a month, I will see for myself if you’re are trustworthy, _Samuel Drake_ ’ Raphael declares. Sam sees Raphael’s eyes sparkle. Is that, amusement?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sam  
> \- born: 1970  
> \- age when the story begins: 32  
> \- age when the tragedy took place: 20
> 
> Rafe  
> \- born: 1975  
> \- age when story begins: 27  
> \- age when the tragedy took place: 15
> 
> "Accident": 1990  
> Rafe's parents left the mansion in 1992  
> Story takes place in 2002
> 
> (Hope I got the dates and ages right, because math and bog is not a good combination :P)


	3. The last grain of sand pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slowly Sam starts to uncover the truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normally I plan one more chapter on this story and then I'll start writing the next fairty tale! I hope you guys like it so far :D

Sam is on the ground floor again. This time, Raphael accompanies him. He shows him the whole place, explaining him what each room serves for.

‘Why don’t you clean it? Guess you got plenty of time’ Sam wonders. Raphael shakes his head in disapproval. ‘Don’t want to. Most of the time, I don’t even spend time here. I only occupy the fifth and fourth floor, honestly. As if I don’t want to be reminded either.’

‘Reminded of what?’ Sam asks.

‘Of what happened here. The “happy” days of my life and the not so happy moments in my life. But, believe it or, I like the silence now. No father arguing with my mother. No more yelling, no more crying’ Raphael walks in front of Sam. There is a sad air over the son of the Adler couple.

Sam can only imagine what a tragic life he must’ve lead. He also still wonders why Raphael’s parents abandoned him and why Raphael looks like he does now. He decides to leave those questions unanswered until he gets to know the younger man better.

‘Ah, the dining room’ Raphael stops in the entrance and inspects the room. ‘There are many and no memories here’ he adds. He walks over to the large table and lets his hands wander over the scratches.

‘You’ve probably seen the damage, right, Samuel?’ he looks over to Sam who slightly nods.

‘Yeah, I did’ is all he manages to say. Raphael grins. ‘I caused the damage. But I guess you already know. It was when I was in quite… a bad mood. I made those marks when my parents were still here.’

‘Your parents, they were still here when you, uhm… changed like that?’ Sam asks and he immediately regrets that.

‘Getting a bit ahead of everything now, Samuel?’ comes Raphael’s snarky response. ‘I’ll tell you soon enough about everything and my current condition. For now, just shut up.’ Sam decides it’s indeed better if he doesn’t ask too many questions. Especially not the ones that he wants to ask.

 

‘We had a little fight over something silly. Can’t remember what it was about. I got angry, my dad got angry. My mother… she cried’ Raphael continues the story behind the ruined table.

‘I used to eat all by myself. My father always worked in his office. Closed himself off from the world. My mother was also a busy woman. Never payed attention to me. Sometimes, I wondered if she even knew I existed. However, the dining room. Most of the time I ate alone. Only a butler as company. And _if_ my parents and I ate together, it was in total silence. Not a word was spoken. Rarely did we speak. And if my parents talked, I had to shut up and sit there. Listening to their boring adult stories. Some business talk was discussed with me, though. For I had to take over my father’s fortune and business. He had a huge company. It still runs today, just without me’ Raphael takes out a chair and sits on it.

‘Samuel, do you know how to cook?’ he asks. ‘Me? A bit. I know the basics’ Sam replies surprised.

‘Very well. I want you to cook us dinner’ the other man demands. ‘Normally there is still some decent food that can be cooked.’ Sam nods and goes to the large kitchen.

Surprise hits him when he sees there is _fresh_ food stored into the fridge. Also new vegetables are placed in a plastic bowl. How did Raphael manage to get that? Sam only resided two weeks here and he never saw Raphael leave the house. Strange.

Without further questions, Sam prepares a decent meal. Some potatoes with gravy, a handful of beans, baked tomatoes and carrots and steaks for the both of them.

‘That smells delicious!’ Raphael shouts from the other room.

Sam smiles to himself. He is happy Raphael finally starts to open up. When the first week had ended, he hadn’t said a word to Sam. He only observed him through those walls or he just sat in the corner of the same room Sam was in. it creeped Sam out every time, but he didn’t dare to complain.

 

‘It’s been a while since I ate vegetables’ Raphael mentions after he finishes his meal.

‘What did you eat then?’ Sam asks, hoping it isn’t a bad question. Raphael scratches his head with a claw and frowns his head. ‘Rodents, insects, I guess. Sometimes I ate some of that canned food’ he replies. It’s now that Sam notices that Raphael is skinny. He can see a part of his ribs.

‘No need to worry about’ Raphael assures him when he sees Sam’s worried look.

‘Now, tell me more about yourself, Samuel. I haven’t asked you a thing since you arrived’ Raphael insists with smile.

‘What is there to tell? I’m not such an interesting person’ Sam mumbles. Small laughter from the other man fills the otherwise silent room.

‘Not interesting? First, you’re a reporter. So you must travel a lot, or at least know some things. Second, everyone who dares to enter the mansion has some guts! Last person who “visited” the mansion was some poor homeless man. Didn’t take much effort to scare him away. That was seven years ago’ Raphael grins.

‘Well, I’m Samuel, your average guy and reporter. I don’t have interesting articles on my name. Most of the time I’m just a “disaster tourist”. Always looking for the save amount of trouble I can write an article about. Other articles are from the X saves Y from Z “format”. Nothing special. But I try my best at finding some interesting new flashes. Especially if it involves some mystery’ Sam tells. Raphael listens, sometimes nods and seems very interested.

‘Mystery, you say? And that’s why you chose this? How did you even got informed about the Adler tragedy?’

‘Pure accident I guess. There was a big opening of a new factory of your father in the west side of the country, where I was at the moment for my job. And then something popped up in my mind. It was a reminder that I still had some article about an accident that happened twelve years ago. Note that I always collected articles I find interesting.’

‘Why did you kept the article about the fire?’ Raphael wants to know. ‘I thought there was just so little information about the whole accident. The whole story wasn’t covered up completely, I thought. When it happened I was twenty. I too actually forgot about the article eventually, until a month ago.’

‘How interesting’ Raphael mumbles. ‘And so you decide to search for the truth, all by yourself.’

Sam nods. ‘Yes. And that’s how I ended up here. By you, Raphael.’

‘You can call me Rafe now’ the other man smiles.

‘Alright, Rafe. Nice to… meet you’ Sam says. He still feels uncomfortable around the other man.

Maybe this place _is_ cursed after all.

 

\-----

Time goes by slowly in the Adler mansion. Sam does some domestic chores and he even decides to clean up the whole place. When Rafe notices, cleaning products seem to appear out of nowhere.

Sam keeps wondering where Rafe finds the resources or the time to sneak away. Because Sam also keeps an eye on the other man.

The evenings are spent in the dining room. Most of the time they talk about nothing. Sometimes Sam talks about himself. _Has_ to. From time to time Rafe lets Sam into his past as he tells about small events.

It’s only through these dinner talks, Sam gets to know the other man better.

From the beginning it strikes Sam that Rafe never had a happy life. The burden of the heritage of his father, the absent mother, the cruel staff and the endless hours spent alone.

 

In the third week, curiosity starts to get the better of Sam. One evening, Rafe had told Sam that he was allowed to wander everywhere inside the mansion, apart from the one room with those bold letters on it. Sam had resisted the urge until now.

 

Curiosity makes him stand in front of said forbidden door. He knows that Rafe likes to take a nap at 3 PM. That’s why Sam had decided to go around that time.

Slowly his hand hovers over the doorknob. He feels how he has no control over the hand as it shakes heavily. Sweat drips from his neck into his shirt. He shouldn’t do this. He knows what the other man is capable of. Sam has seen what those sharp claws could do to the furniture. That table in the dining room wasn’t the only “victim” of Rafe’s rage.

Sam’s hand is on the doorknob. He swallows an imaginary lump down his throat. The doorknob turns but it budges. Somehow Sam is relieved the damned door is locked, but at the same time he knows where to find the key. Rafe’s room. It’s on the other side of the floor. Sam sneaks up to the stairs and opens the small window on the door. Rafe is indeed sleeping. A foot sticks out from the couch and there is a loud snoring sound that fills the room. The door isn’t locked from the inside and it isn’t possible. How easy it would be for Sam to just take the key and lock the door from outside.

But then he remembers that Rafe got out of this locked room eventually when his parents where already gone, so it wouldn’t matter if Sam locked the door or not. There probably wasn’t even a key anymore.

Sam opens the door and almost jumps in the air when the door makes a loud creaking sound. He surprised when Rafe’s unconscious body doesn’t flinch at the sound. The reporter quickly examines the room and sees a key laying on a small table next to the couch.

He slinks to the table and grabs the key. Next he slips away as quick as possible and closes the door. Then he peaks through the little window for reassurance and then strides to the forbidden room.

It takes some effort to get the rusty key into the keyhole but Sam manages.

He has to use some force to open the door. Rafe mustn’t visit this room often, Sam thinks. His thought gets confirmed when he sees how dusty the place is. There’s a lot of furniture standing in Sam’s way. There’s a door of glass. Sam believes it leads to, one: another room (although it’s very unlikely) or two: a balcony.

Sam has to bent his body in awkward positions to get to the other side of the room. ‘Darn furniture’ he curses as he gets trapped between a table and a closet. He huffs as he pushes the table away. A screeching sound. Hopefully hasn’t waken Rafe already. That would mean a nasty situation.

‘There we go’ Sam pushes through and is finally at the other side of the forbidden chamber. He looks around as he shines his flashlight around. Spider webs, dirt and dust everywhere. Nothing special. He decides to check the door of glass. Just as he thought, it leads to small balcony.

‘Whoa!’ Sam lets out a small gasp as he discovers a rather large hourglass, standing on a small table at the balcony. The sand is red colored. A deep red. The hourglass looks odd and out of place in this room, Sam thinks. He quickly looks over his back to check the door. No sign of Rafe.

The glass seems to be made of crystal and the stand is made of gold. The sand slides slowly through the bulb. In fact, it looks like the narrow neck of the hourglass is only fitted for one grain at a time.

Sam’s eyes and attention are so focused on the object, he didn’t hear approaching footsteps. Curious fingers try to touch the fragile looking glass. But before Sam could do so, two claws, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, snatch the hourglass away from him. He can feel a cold breeze in his face. Rafe is here! And he doesn’t look too happy.

He wears a dark cloak, covering almost his entire face, only the jaw is visible. But his eyes, my god, his eyes glow a furious red.

‘Didn’t I told you to not come here?’ Rafe growls. It sends shivers down Sam’s spine. Rafe is bend over as he protects the hourglass underneath his cloak. Sam sees that Rafe’s feet have completely transformed into paws. It makes the other man taller than he is.

‘I, I-‘ Sam starts to stammer panicky. He almost blabbers: ‘I don’t have any excuse for this. It’s just, my curiosity-‘ As his voice starts to fail him, Rafe’s claw shoots out from underneath the cloak and throws the whole table from the balcony. A loud shattering noise is heard as the table reaches the ground. It startles Sam.

‘Now get the fuck out before I do things I’ll later regret!’ Rafe snarls. Sam, in confusion, just stands there frozen to the ground, heart beating faster with the minute.

‘Now go!’ Rafe barks and makes a wild gesture by waving his hand. He closes the distance between him and Sam. ‘GO!’ he roars and Sam doesn’t think twice anymore as he runs for his live.

Before he knows it, he jumps out of the very window that he used to get in.

Adrenaline rushes through his whole body, making him move rapidly, almost at abnormal speed.

 

When Sam finally catches his breath when he is outside the mansion and outside of the gates, he hears a scream. And another one, and another scream.

‘Get in the car, now!’ an unfamiliar female voice yells. Sam tries to control his breathing as he looks up.

A stranger stands in front of him. Behind her is a small truck, probably for delivery or something.

‘I don’t have all day’ the woman says demanding. Her brows narrow when Sam still stands there.

‘Just, give me a sec’ Sam breathes heavily. Without hesitation the woman drags him to her car. She then pushes him in forcibly and places herself behind the wheel. ‘Fasten your seatbelt’ she commands, but she has already started the motor and drives –no, races- off. Sam holds on for dear life and prevents falling over. He fastens his belt and now studies the mysterious woman. Did she save him or was she an enemy?

She is a woman of color. She has a dark skin, surprisingly strong biceps and a fierce look. Before he can ask any questions, she silences him with her left hand.

‘You’ll soon have the answers you want’ she assures him while taking a very sharp turn to the left.

When they are some miles away from the Adler mansion, the woman starts to talk.

‘I’m Nadine Ross. You probably want to know why I took you with me and how I ended up at the Adler mansion right after you escaped.’ Sam can only nod.

‘I knew this would happen. It only was a matter of time before you discovered that hourglass’, another turn to the left.

‘How, do you-‘ again Sam gets silenced. ‘Shh, let me do the talking. You held your own for a long time. Three weeks already? However, I made sure I always stood on “stand-by” when Rafe informed me about you, Samuel Drake.’ Nadine gives him a side-glance and then refocuses on the road. She drives them more into the mountains. They finally arrive at a small house.

‘Get out’ she says and Sam doesn’t dare to do something else. He sighs. First he has to obey Rafe, now it’s this woman who somehow has a connection to the madman inside the mansion.

 

‘Please, sit down’ Nadine says with a smile on her face as she offers Sam a chair in her kitchen. She prepares coffee for the two of them and then joins Sam at the kitchen table.

‘Before I continue my story, I want to know why you were there’ she demands and Sam nods his head.

‘I’m a reporter. And with the opening of a new Adler factory, it brought up an old mystery that plagued my mind for quite some time’ Sam begins. Nadine listens in silence.

‘The fire and the unfortunate death of the only son of the Adlers. I couldn’t believe he was dead. Something in me said there was _reason_ behind the fire.’

‘And so you came to the mansion. That was a, well, stupid idea’ Nadine snorts. ‘But you arrived anyway and there is nothing to do about it anymore. I believe you know too much, already’ she puts a hand on her head and sighs. She seems exhausted.

‘So you’re going to kill me?’ Sam dares to ask. Nadine laughs. ‘No’ comes a blunt reply. Sam is surprised _again_.

‘No, in fact, I want to inform you about _your_ role in the entire story’ she says.

‘ _My_ role into this?’ Sam asks confused.

‘Yes, now I’ll tell you everything, but first I want to know what you already know or if you have any theories on the truth.’

‘Well, I know that Rafe didn’t die. In fact, he somehow manages to survive all alone in that mansion. From what he tells me, I know that he didn’t get along with his family. His mother neglected him and his father only scowled at him for not being good enough. This somehow changed their son. Maybe that’s why he turned into a… monster?’ Sam says. He waits for Nadine’s reaction but there is none, so he continues.

‘Rafe probably got unmanageable so they decide to fake his death. They want to “erase” him. His dad might not want to have a “heir” to his fortune and rather wants another successor, other than his son, Raphael. But somehow, his parents can’t kill him. So they keep him separated from the rest of the world. And no one knows, because everyone thinks Raphael is dead. Then they can’t handle it anymore, perhaps it’s guilt, and they flee from the mansion. Leaving their son behind’ Sam is almost out of breath as he tries to tell everything in one breath. Nadine nods.

‘Pretty close. How do I know? I used to be one of the servants in the mansion. I watched the whole thing from a distance. Raphael, or Rafe, was a normal boy once. He was never the talkative type. But I saw the stress that piled up into that boy. He didn’t have any relief to gush out all of that anger and sadness. And he changed. For the worse. I noticed and his parents too. Raphael became a monster. No one knew how he got hair all over his body. No one knew where the claws came from. And some staff members left. I didn’t. Because I was the only one who could still approach the young Adler without getting harmed. Once he told me I was the only one who could understand him. Who knew what he felt like. So I felt some kind of responsibility towards Rafe. I still do.’ There is some silence between them.

‘His parents knew there would be risks if anyone from outside would see their son like this. They didn’t want that kind of attention, so they burned their shack, making it look like an accident. In reality, they locked Raphael up in that room. Gave him food throughout that hole in the door. I too did bring him food.

One day, I came up with some food but he wasn’t in his room anymore. Instead of telling his father, I figured that he didn’t really escaped or disappeared. When I entered the room, I saw a large poster and behind that poster was a passage. Without anyone noticing, Rafe had carved out some part of the thick walls. When he returned and saw me standing there, he threatened me. But I said I wouldn’t tell anyone about the secret. Instead, I helped him out.’

‘How did no one notice?’ Sam wonders.

‘Everyone in the Adler family was busy. No one paid attention to Rafe. They didn’t bother to. And most of the time, Rafe’s father was in his office or at work. His mother also wasn’t always in the mansion. So Rafe’s tunnel digging went unnoticed. It gave him the possibility to move around in secret. To not die of boredom. That’s what he said to me.

Two years later, his parents couldn’t cope with Rafe anymore. Although he was locked up, he made sure his parents heard him. He really became a wild animal and sometimes I didn’t even dare to go close to his room. And I knew he would watch me from time to time from within those walls. So two years after his “death” Rafe’s parents decided to abandon the mansion. They almost left in a hurry. They paid me and the other staff members. Made sure the house was unapproachable and locked so Raphael couldn’t escape. And like that, they left. I never heard from them again. But I didn’t do nothing. I kept contact with Rafe via the window.’

‘So _you_ are the one who provided him with food! And those cleaning products… they were put there by you!’ Sam exclaims, finally realizing some parts of the puzzle. Nadine shakes her head

‘That’s right. Although I wasn’t always there for Rafe. Two years prior to your arrival, he and I had some tension. It got worse and I left him. I told him that he would never turn back normal if he didn’t open his heart for someone. If he didn’t love someone truly. Of course, it was an empty threat. But maybe Rafe believed in it. And maybe I do too, now.’

Sam blinks. ‘What do you mean with that?’

‘After I abandoned Rafe for a few weeks, I did some research on old myths and folklore. Sounds silly, but I found something useful. It was an old legend about monsters and humans. The story told about a woman who never loved anyone. She hated and despised everyone. Even her own family. She said love was too complicated and unnecessary. An evil witch, disguised as a seller, she transformed the woman into an ugly monster. “Only if you know the meaning of true love, you might change back to your original form. Only if you love someone truly and if that person loves you back, you can transform. But you only have a limited time. If you don’t find true love in that time, you remain forever a beast.” And that reminded me of course of Rafe’s condition’ Nadine explains.

Sam scratches his head. ‘And what has that to do with me?’ He still doesn’t seem to know how he fits into this silly story. Nadine rolls her eyes.

‘Isn’t it obvious? Well, whatever. You saw that hourglass, right?’

‘Yeah, the lower bulb was almost full again. What about it?’ Sam recalls. Nadine groans.

‘That hourglass indicates the time Rafe has left before he remains in his monstrous form forever’ she reveals. Finally a click.

‘Wait, does that mean… does that mean Rafe thinks I’m the one who can lift this “curse”?’ while Sam realizes his role, he remembers how Rafe told him how the mansion is cursed. But in fact, it is Rafe who is cursed. And now Sam might be the solution to his condition.

Nadine claps in her hands. ‘Finally! You get it! I can’t kill you if you are the only one who can lift the curse.’

‘But how am I supposed to love him? That’s what you mean right? And I don’t know if I’m the type of guy he likes and’ there are many new questions to be answered. It makes Sam dizzy.

‘We’ll worry about that later. What you should do now, is calm down, rest and regain your strength for tomorrow. Because tomorrow, you’ll return to the mansion. I’ll inform Rafe’ Nadine says.

 

That night, Sam sleeps on Nadine’s couch with the door locked. He dreams about monsters, rich people at a party and love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe, for the part about rafe walking in the walls I got inspired by that horror movie The Boy (2016), haha, although never seen that movie :P  
> Well, Rafe had to do something while being locked away, poor guy


	4. The last grain of sand END

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the truth is revealed, Sam makes sure the curse will be lifted in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can sex lift the curse? Who knows? *wink wink*

‘How long do you have?’ Sam asks as he stands in the forbidden room with Rafe.

In the night he has changed even more. He now has a rougher look on his face and has grown more facial hair in the same night. Rafe scratches his claw.

 ‘I have no exact idea, but I guess the sand will last for only six months. Maybe a bit more, but surely not a year’ he answers. Rafe’s cold eyes stare into the hourglass before him. He sighs and then looks up to Sam. A worried expression across his entire face.

 ‘Samuel, I’m sorry about yesterday. Well, sort of sorry. I’m not good with apologizing. I should’ve told you before your curiosity took over’ the man says.

 ‘It’s alright, Rafe. It’s just… weird. Everything. I never knew that you were really cursed. But there is still one thing left I want to discuss’ Sam responds. Rafe raises an eyebrow.

 ‘You are into men, right? And if so, do you  like, love me?’ Rafe bares his teeth in a grin.

‘Men, women, they have never appealed to me. But you? You are, to say the least, _fascinating_. I never felt something like this  for another person before in my entire life’ Rafe admits. Then he glares at Sam’s eyes. ‘How about you, Samuel Drake?’

 ‘Me? I like men and women. Romantically, sexually’ the reporter tells, a small blush shows on his cheeks. ‘And I think I can like you too’ he adds.

 ‘Once again, sorry that you got dragged into this whole happening. I just hope it isn’t too late for me to change. But I feel like you’ve already stirred something up  in my cold heart’ Rafe states.

 

\-----

As time flies by, Sam _does_ start to have real feelings for the other man, beastly or not. And Rafe shares the same feelings with the reporter. And there are some physical changes. Even though they are subtle. For instance, Rafe’s ferocity and aggressiveness start to decrease. And the red glow in his eyes starts to fade.

Rafe really starts to open up to Sam. And in return, Sam lets Rafe in on more private events in his life. Like how he and his younger brother lost their mother when they were really young and how their father was always drunk and neglected them. Or that horrific day that Sam’s little brother got shot when Sam himself was only sixteen. How his brother got shot and never woke up again. Since then, Sam decided to become a reporter, so he wouldn’t have to stay in one place for his entire life.

 Rafe gave his condolences when Sam told him that.

To lighten up their conversations, Rafe finally tells about a few happy events in his life. Those happy days were almost lost memories of the younger years of Rafe. But it made Sam smile. Glad there wasn’t only doom in Rafe’s life.

 

Sam starts to really appreciate Rafe’s body. Ever since Sam came to the Adler Estate, Rafe gained some weight to compensate the thinness he had before.

The man was lean and Sam feels that he is quite attracted to the roughness of the other man. And then there are the eyes. If Rafe doesn’t let him read his mind, those eyes always betray him.

 ‘If you don’t want me to read your mind, you should cover up those expressive eyes’ Sam once teased.

Just like that, the little teasing starts. There are subtle flirtations on Sam’s part. Sometimes Rafe seems oblivious, but he makes sure the other man knows he likes him too.

 

\----

‘Hm, there’s still some dust there’ Rafe points out a sharp nail to the corner of Sam’s room.

 ‘Maybe you should help, from time to time, huh? When we keep living together like this, it’s time you should engage in some of the domestic chores as well’ Sam snorts as he bents over with a cleaning mop. He can hear a chuckle. Then he feels a firm hand slap his butt. His cheeks redden and jumps up to meet with Rafe’s eyes. There is a hint of red in his eyes. Red of mischief that is.

 ‘I got your bum’ the younger man gives him a smug smile.

‘Let me clean up that dirty grin off your face’ Sam grins as he chases Rafe around the entire bedroom with the cleaning mop.

They end up in the bed, laughing. Sam stares at the ceiling. Next to him lays Rafe. Their chests go up and down and heavy breathing fills the room.

When Sam takes a quick glance at the other man, their eyes meet. ‘Did you know you sometimes talk in your sleep? It’s… cute, I think’ Rafe confesses and it makes Sam blush.

 ‘W- wait, you watch me while I’m sleeping?!’

Rafe nods. ‘Sometimes. When I can’t sleep. It’s a fun thing to do to kill the time.’

 ‘If you can’t sleep, you can just join me, you know’ Sam mumbles as he looks away. Rafe’s eyes widen. ‘Really? Why didn’t you say so?’ he asks in disbelief.

 ‘Because you never asked’ Sam sighs.

‘That’s because I thought you wanted some personal space’ Rafe grunts. Sam rolls his eyes.

‘Says the man who spies on me while I’m not looking. Who knows when you’re watching me without me even knowing’ he snorts.

 ‘And because I thought you might didn’t like a hairy monster next to you’ Rafe adds.

‘That’s what I probably thought when I first arrived here. But now?’ Without warning Sam grabs Rafe around the waist and pulls him closer for a tight embrace. Rafe sputters first but then slowly relaxes.

 ‘Now I thing you’re just one big ball of fluff’ Sam says. Rafe groans a bit.

‘I’m still dangerous, you know?’ Rafe says in a threatening tone but Sam knows better.

 ‘Isn’t that the point of all this? To make you human again? Or do you secretly want to stay in this form forever?’ Sam’s eye form slits as he peers to Rafe.

 ‘No, I never said that?’ he exclaims and Sam only laughs. ‘Just kiddin’ Sam chuckles. When Rafe wants to stand up again, Sam jerks him back.

 ‘Why not stay here a bit longer? It’s not like we have something important to do, right? Do some more bonding’ Rafe sighs and gives in. He lays down again and crawls up to Sam. Carefully he wraps his own arms around Sam’s body. He is warm and it feels comfortable. A tiny tear falls from Rafe’s eye. Sam notices and asks in a worried tone: ‘You alright, Rafe?’ Rafe only nods.

 ‘It’s just… why do you do this? Why are you so nice to me? After everything I’ve done to you. I practically destroyed your old life.’

 ‘Maybe I didn’t want my old life. Wanted something new. And I found it, right here’ Sam hums as he caresses Rafe’s back.

 ‘You don’t have to cry. It’s alright’ he whispers in the other man’s ear.

‘I, I’ve never been hugged like this before. I just get a bit emotional from it’ Rafe says while muffled away against Sam’s chest. A small smile appears on Sam’s lips.

 ‘Then maybe we should do this more often?’

‘Totally, Sam. Totally.’

 

\-----

‘S- sex?’ Rafe exclaims. Although there is no one else besides them, he still looks cautious around him.

 ‘Don’t tell me you never heard of that before?’

‘Well, uh, not much. Only sexual education. But I do know about sex between two men. I know, uh, the basics’ Rafe stutters.

‘You ever had an orgasm?’ Sam now wants to know and Rafe blushes firmly.

‘Ye- yes. I do know about masturbation, okay?’ the other man says in defense and Sam grins.

‘Then maybe it’s time we should do it? As a final act to confirm our love?’ Rafe looks away shyly. ‘I, I was thinking about that earlier. But, do you think it will work? With this body?’

 ‘Hm, certainly. I’ll go slow, if you want to. Or we can go fast. But only if I have your consent’ Sam assures.

 

Sam carefully pushes Rafe into the bed. ‘Try to relax’ he whispers. ‘I’ll make you feel good, okay? If you don’t like it or if I go too slow or too fast, just tell me.’ Rafe nods and with that, Sam lowers his kisses. A firm kiss against Rafe’s collarbone.

A small kiss on Rafe’s chest. A quick kiss on a nipple. He can feel Rafe tense up. He then bites softly in the other nipple. Rafe gasps.

 ‘W- what are you doing?’ he squeaks  with a dark red across his cheeks. ‘Teasing. You don’t like it?’ Sam whispers. ‘It, it’s okay’ Rafe mumbles.

Now Sam trails off to Rafe’s abdomen. A kiss on the bellybutton. He licks and Rafe lets out a soft whine.

 ‘Can I go lower?’ Sam asks. ‘Yeah’ comes Rafe’s response. Sam unbuttons the pants and notices how Rafe is already half erect. Before unclothing him completely he runs one hand over the bulge.

When the pants come off together with the underwear, Rafe jolts as the cool air now brushes over his now fully erect cock.

 ‘Are you alright?’ Sam asks as he settles himself comfortably between Rafe’s legs. The other man nods.

‘J- just touch me already’ Rafe insists. ‘How needy’ Sam muses. Without a second thought Sam reaches for Rafe’s cock and starts to stroke him lazily. In the beginning he still has to figure out a rhythm that Rafe likes. He observes the reactions of the other man to set a nice pacing.

 ‘How do you feel?’ Sam says in a husky voice. ‘Great’ Rafe manages to say between moans. He lets his head lull, but looks back when he feels something wet against his thighs. It’s Sam’s tongue.

 ‘Oh’ he sighs.

Sam gives the other thigh a wet kiss. Rafe’s legs tremble at the touches. The smell of sweat and sex is intoxicating to Sam and he decides to give himself some pleasure too. He quickly unzips his own pants and in no time he palms his own erection while still paying attention to the other man’s member.

Sam’s right hand returns to Rafe’s cock and it incites some noise from Rafe. His hand rubs up and down and now and then he lets his thumb wander over the sensitive tip.

 ‘You really are a tease’ Rafe breathes. A smirk forms on Sam’s lips. ‘I know.’

 

As Sam continues with teasing Rafe’s cock, he notices how the other man is close to an orgasm.

‘You can come, if you want to’ he hums as he circles the tip even more now, making Rafe writhe underneath him.

With a muffled cry the man comes. Sam looks at his wet hand before licking his fingers clean. Rafe blushes.

 ‘Didn’t I come too quick?’ he asks nervously. Sam shakes his head. ‘You did fine. It was your first time after all.’ Rafe nods. Sam sees how Rafe focuses on Sam’s own erection.

 ‘Can I touch you too? I haven’t done anything for you’ Rafe says, almost whispering. Sam lets him.

Rafe’s hands feel surprisingly cool against Sam’s hot skin. It sends a shiver down his spine. Rafe makes sure he doesn’t scratch Sam with his claws as he carefully explores the other man’s cock.

 ‘You’re leaking some precum’ Rafe remarks as he wipes some of it away with a gentle thumb. Sam hisses.

 ‘Are you okay?’ Rafe asks afraid of hurting his partner, but Sam states he’s just doing fine.

Rafe gets the hang of stimulating quickly and soon he is all over the other man’s body. Drinking him in, tasting every inch of Sam’s body. Sam throws his head back and lets out a sigh of relief.

‘Damn, Rafe. You’re getting good’ Sam huffs as Rafe takes Sam into his mouth. The younger man bobs his head up and down the length without having any gag reflexes.

The facial hair causes a ticklish sensation, but Sam doesn’t mind. It feels good in its own way.

Cool eyes meet with Sam’s darker eyes. Rafe looks beautiful. Swollen lips, flushed cheeks. A shiver goes over Sam’s whole body as he comes.

 ‘I’m sorry’ Sam breathes, but Rafe swallows everything. He wipes some cum off his mouth and smiles at Sam.

 ‘It’s alright. I can take it.’

 

They clean themselves afterwards and then lay back together in the bed. Sam’s legs are entangled with Rafe’s. Their arms wrapped around each other.

 ‘I love you’ Sam whispers. He presses a soft kiss on Rafe’s forehead. ‘I love you too, Sam’ Rafe mumbles back.

 ‘Is sex always so tiring? Tiring in a good way, though’ Rafe wonders out loud. Sam grins.

‘Well, it can be exhausting the first time. But you’ll built the right stamina, believe me’ he answers and winks.

 

\-----

The next morning Sam wakes up from a sweet dream. He is surprised to find Rafe still next to him. But the younger man has changed. His hair is still messy and all, but his height is slightly decreased. Rafe also has no more rigid body hair all over him. The claws and paws have disappeared as well.

Did it work? Is the curse finally lifted?

Carefully Sam shakes Rafe awake who then rubs his eyes.

 ‘Sam? Am I still dreaming?’ he yawns but his eyes open wide when he starts to realize the transformation. In disbelief he stares at his normal hands. No sharp claws anymore. The rigid hair is all gone now.

Words try to escape his mouth but keep laying on the tip of his tongue.

 ‘I-, how did this happen? I’m back… I’m back my former self!’ he finally manages to say. Happy he embraces Sam but then quickly pushes away when he realizes they are both naked.

 ‘What, embarrassed all of a sudden?’ Sam smirks.

‘Do you still like me?’ Rafe now asks unsure and Sam rolls his eyes. ‘Of course I do. With fur, without it. Doesn’t bother me’ he says. He then giggles.

 ‘What is it?’ Rafe wants to know. ‘Has it something to do with me?’

‘No, no. It’s just… Who would’ve thought sex would be the solution to your curse?’ Sam explains his laughter. Rafe yawns again.

 ‘It’s too early to think about that!’

 

And just like that, Rafe has finally transformed back to his normal human body. The curse was indeed lifted and he lives happily ever after.

And this time, he isn’t alone anymore. This time Rafe finally has someone he can truly love. Someone who understands him and loves him back. And that person is Samuel Drake.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the smut >:-D  
> I'm not so good writing it, but I hope it still was amusing to read :D  
> And by that, the first fairy tale is retold!


	5. Chapter two: The Living Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (very loosely) based off: The Little Mermaid.
> 
> Nate is a tree in the Living Forest. One day he meets a charming and beautiful man named Sam. His parents died in a car accident and their ashes are now buried underneath Nate's trunk.  
> Sam visits the shrine built at Nate's "feet" every day. Every day he talks a bit about his past and his now criminal life.  
> Nate finds himself intrigued by the human and firmly longs to become a human so he can spent more time with this man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, sounds nothing like the original tale, right? But hey, it's only loosely based off it! Some remaining factors: supernatural stuff, and a non-human longing to become human after meeting a handsome man :D
> 
> This story will be written in Nate and Sam's POVs. Hope you guys will enjoy!

_Sam’s POV_

_When I was young I was a dreamer. I was quite naïve and believed in everything other kids told me._

_I also believed in the fairy tales my mother always told me. And one of them, caught my attention more than the others._

_It was the fairy tale about the Living Forest._

_‘Goodnight, Sammy’ mom had said._

_‘Won’t you tell me another bedtime story? Another fairy tale?’ I had asked. Mom had sighed but gave in to my puppy eyes._

_‘Alright, but we’ve already finished the book. Which story do you want me to tell?’_

_‘Is there not another story that isn’t in the book?’ I had wanted to know. Mom had frowned her head. She always did that when she was thinking thoroughly._

_‘Okay, I know a little story. You know the Living Forest, right? The park in the center of the city?’_

_‘The one we visit now and then?’ I had guessed and mom had smiled. ‘Yes, that one. It isn’t called the Living Forest for nothing.’_

_‘What do you mean, mommy?’ I had asked. Mom had pressed a finger to her lips to silence me._

_‘I’ll tell, but you have to listen. So no more questions. Those are after I’m done. Can you promise me that, Sammy?’ I had nodded eagerly._

_‘Good boy. Well, before we humans lived here, there was only the Living Forest. This place was inhabited by the Trees. And since we talk about a magical land, those trees could talk. Like humans. When people came to this place, the Trees had to be cut down.’_

_I had an anxious expression when mom told me that. ‘Did they kill the trees?’ I had exclaimed._

_‘Yes. They did. So the people, we, could live there. Some Trees were used later on as paper. Most of the Trees became wood for houses. So in some way their souls lived on. The end.’_

_I’d sat up and said: ‘Whaat?! Is that it? No real happy ending?’_

_‘Sometimes, fairy tales don’t end in a happy ever after. You have to remember that. But for now, you have to sleep and have sweet dreams’ Mom had answered as she pressed a kiss on my forehead._

_Even back then, mom spoke the truth. Not all fairy tales ended in a happy ever after. That “rule” also applied to me, years later. When I lost my parents to a bloody car accident._

 

***

Nate’s POV

 

‘May you rest in peace, mom and dad’ a tall man snivels as he stands by the shrine. It’s a small shrine.

Yesterday the man had come to place a picture of his parents together with a bouquet of flowers.

The day before he had come to bury the ashes of his family. It had been a rainy day and it was the perfect setting. Or so I thought.

 

How do I know all of these things? Well, it just happened to be that the place where the little shrine is set up, is underneath my feet. But I think trunk is a better word for it.

I’m just one of the many Trees of the Living Forest. I lived here over a thousand years and more. I’m surprised I still live in the twenty-first century. They haven’t cut me down yet. And for that, I’m glad.

It fascinates me how the people here have evolved. From humble hunters and farmers to –what they call it- real business people.

 

My train of thoughts gets interrupted when the grieving man places a hand on my bark. I feel him stare at me. It makes me kind of nervous. Alas, nothing I can do about it. I could talk to him, but that would probably scare him to death. And that is the last thing I’d wanted. Instead, I try to keep my calm.

No one has ever looked at me that intensively. It almost feels as if he really want to make eye contact or something.

 ‘You probably wonder why I placed a picture of my parents here? Or why I buried their ashes underneath your trunk?’ the man starts to speak. He has a warm, pleasing voice. It appeals to me. He really _addresses_ me. Does he know I’m alive? Maybe he just mocks me?

 ‘My mom’ the stranger says, now in a low voice. I can see from his pained expression that he tries to hold back the tears. ‘She told me about this forest. This is the Living Forest.’

I shift some of my branches, just subtle enough so it looks like it’s the breeze that moves them.

 ‘They don’t call it “living” for nothing’ the man continues. Ah, so he _does_ know.

‘I believed her, you know. But I just believed anything. But now? I don’t know. Part of me wants to believe that some tree actually listens to me. Part of me thinks it’s just a fairy tale. Crazy, right? Well, I never heard any of you guys speak. Are you shy? Afraid? Repelled by us humans?’ he tells me, unaware that I understand everything he says. I want to answer him, but I remain silent. Maybe later.

 There is an awkward silence between the stranger and me. Only I’m aware of that awkwardness of course.

 ‘Well, nice, uhm, talking to you, tree. Is it okay if I just call you tree? Or do you have some ancient name?’ The man peers to me. He shrugs his shoulders. Then he starts walking away, leaving me with my thoughts again.

 

I didn’t have a name. Centuries living without a name. Sometimes the lack of a name popped up in my treetop, but most of the time it didn’t bother me. Until the man addressed the “problem”.

Come to think of it, I don’t know his name.

The rest of that day I spent with thinking up names for the friendly stranger.

 

\-----

The next day I eagerly await for the return of the human. I observe the “early morning” people in the park.

Some people sit on a bench, reading the newspaper or drinking a warm drink. Coffee is popular these days, it seems.

From what I understand, they drink it to keep themselves awake. Apparently coffee gives them positive energy as well.

Other people like to jog, while bringing their dogs along. The only thing that bothers me with dogs is that they poop and pee unashamed against your leg. Especially if you’re a tree. Apart from that, I see them as the most loving and loyal pets of the whole world.

Sometimes I wish I were a dog. Just to know what is like to run all day, feel more than soil underneath my feet. Yes, being a dog seemed to be fun. And if I could be something else, I wished to be a bird. To conquer the skies with my wings. To see all the people from another perspective. Oh, how I wished to be able to really move around. Because standing here for ages got boring, to say the least.

 

The morning passes by. People and dogs come and go. But none of them are the human I’m waiting for. I grow restless. I move the branches that serve as my arms around. I just don’t overdo it. Otherwise the birds that have nested themselves into my leaves would fall.

Yes, the little birds are my friends. They found me worthy enough to be their home. It’s music to my ears to hear them chirp and twitter.

 ‘Hey, tree. I’m sorry that I’m late’ the familiar voice reaches my thoughts and I focus back on the park. In front of me stands the tall man. He waves at me and I try my best to wave a branch to him.

 

***

Sam’s POV

 

I kneel down by the tree and take the framed photo in my hands. With a blue handkerchief I wipe away some dust. Then I stand back up and look at the tree. He hasn’t spoken to me yet.

Maybe I’m just imagining that the tree just waved one of his branches to me. Must’ve been the wind.

But then why am I talking to a tree? That’s a weird form of comfort, I tell myself. But this tree feels like it is actually listening to what I’m saying. Maybe mom wasn’t wrong after all. Still, it was weird.

 ‘People say that when you lose someone very dear to your heart, it makes you emotional unstable. Sometimes your mood swings up and down. Or you have hallucinations. But you, you listen to me, right? This isn’t some hallucination’ I try to reassure myself. I glimpse at the tree before me and try to find his eyes, if he has any.

 ‘Is it okay for me to visit you almost every day? If my work allows it, of course?’ I ask. No response.

I sit down by the shrine.

‘If you don’t like it, now is the time to tell me.’ Again, pure silence. I sigh and stand back up again.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?’ the tree says nothing. But when I walk away and turn around once more, I swear I saw the tree _moving_ a bit. And it waves a branch. In return I wave back and a passenger gives me a weird look.

 

\-----

The next day it’s Saturday. That doesn’t mean I don’t work. Not during the day, but at night.

Even though what I do is illegal, it brings in some decent money. Sometimes I deal drugs or stolen stuff. Most of the time the negotiation goes smoothly. Only not this time. I got beaten up because I didn’t pay the debt in time.

 ‘Next time you get the right amount of money! Plus an extra of a thousand dollars, for being late’ the thug had threatened. ‘You’re lucky this will be your last time dealing with us!’

I’m smart enough to not fight back when the thug’s men beat me up. It would only cause more and worse wounds.

 

With a black eye, a bloody nose and a bump on my cheek I stumble to the park. I’m already used to the dark of the night and I easily navigate myself to the shrine.

When I sit down, it’s more like collapsing on the ground. I breathe heavily, still recovering from the long run to the park. With the back of my hand I wipe away some blood. My eyes trail over the bark of the tree. It’s a strong tree. Quite bulky and many branches reach to the sky.

 ‘Almost forgot to visit you’ hoarse words leave my lips. Speaking pains me. My fingers brush over my lips. Also bloody, I think annoyed. When I look up I almost jump a feet in the air.

The tree has now really moved. It bends over me. Now I spy two dark holes in the tree, which I suspect to be its eyes. I crawl a meter back.

 ‘It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. What happened to your pretty face?’ a croaky voice escapes a now visible mouth. The mouth is like it’s carved or scraped out. The “teeth” look crooked and a bit creepy.

Although the voice sounds gruff, it has a tone of concern and softness in it.

 ‘Mother of God, you speak!’ I inhale deep as I try to swallow an imaginable lump down my throat.

‘Yes, I do. But that doesn’t answer my question to you-…’ The tree frowns and the bark around the holes narrow. I realize it wants a name. ‘Sam’ I manage to say.

The tree shifts back to its usual stand, face still there. ‘Sam’ form the wooden lips. I can almost see how the tree tries my name on its “tongue”.

 ‘Sam. That is a beautiful name. The name fits you well. Now tell me, please, what happened?’

 

‘Why are you involved with those…bad people anyway?’ the tree wants to know. Would the tree understand?

 ‘My family was never really rich. So I didn’t have a rich heritage. I desperately need the money. But I guess I always was somehow involved in criminal activities. Even when I was a kid. Petty crimes’ I confess. The tree says nothing, so I continue.

 ‘Me and my parents lived a happy life. Nothing wrong with not having much, I tell you. But maybe it were the friends I had, that made me get involved with criminal acts. Maybe it was my age. Young, unaware of the future, no feel for responsibility whatsoever. You could say I acted, still act recklessly. It’s not that my parents raised me wrong or anything. Maybe it’s just in my nature. To get in trouble.’

 ‘If it’s in your nature, then I can’t blame you’ the tree responds.

‘Well, I could fight it’ I snort. My hand carefully brushes over my nose and lip. The bleeding has stopped and I can only feel old blood now.

 ‘Going against nature is deemed to be wrong. Most of the time. But then again, I’m just a tree, so how could I now?’

 ‘They killed your friends’ I gainsay. The tree lets some branches hang. I regret saying that.

‘Yes. Some became material for houses, others ended up for unknown goals. So much time has passed, I think I can forgive the people who did that’ the tree eventually says. I yawn.

 ‘Is that a sign of boredom or exhaustion?’ the tree asks curiously. I nod. ‘Exhaustion. It’s been a tiresome day. Even though it’s a weekend. I think I’ll go sleep for a while.’

 ‘Will you visit me tomorrow?’ the tree questions. I scratch the back of my head and promises to visit him tomorrow.

 ‘Tomorrow night? Or at daylight?’ I want to know. ‘Doesn’t matter to me. But I suppose people might freak out if they witness a talking tree. Or they think you’re just a weirdo talking to a lifeless tree.’

 ‘What do you mean with the latter?’

‘I think only people who really believe in the Living Forest, can see me move or hear me talk’ the tree explains.

We say goodbye and I return home. Everything leaves me a bit flabbergasted and confused. A part of me tells me I’m still imagining things and that I’m still dreaming. That it is my way to cope with the loss of my parents.

I push that thought away and close my eyes. ‘Mom, you were correct. Trees in the Forest can talk. I even met one’ I mumble to myself before I fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like this idea of an old tree who sees human from only one perspective and wanting to become one to fully experience what it is like to be human.


	6. The Living Forest pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam gives the tree a name and the tree finally longs to be a real human

Nate’s POV

 

The next day I wait for Sam the human again. I tell myself he’ll come at night, when everyone else is asleep. It’s probably better for the both of us if we’re not seen together. People might think Sam has gone crazy, talking to a tree like that.

Night falls and the noises of the city start to fade. Or at least, to diminish. City life has always been bustling. No real silence, sadly. Sometimes I miss the old days when there was only the chattering from us, trees, and the sound of the wind startling our leaves.

Darkness swallows some parts of the city that aren’t lighted. In the park there are only three lampposts. One of the lights is placed only a few meters away from me. I hear someone approach.

Then Sam steps outside the dark and into the dim light of the lamppost.

The rough features on his face are contoured due to the play of light and dark. It gives the man a mysterious look.

 ‘Hello’ he says. I greet back. ‘How are you doing, Sam?’ I ask. ‘I’m good. How about you? Hope you didn’t have to wait too long’

 ‘Only a whole day’ I say. ‘But I’m okay. Always new faces in the park.’ Sam kneels in front of the small shrine and pays his respect to his deceased parents.  He forms a small cross on his chest and then stands up again.

 ‘Remember when I asked you if I could call you just tree? Do actually have a name?’ Sam wants to know. I try to shake my body. It doesn’t go well, so I say no instead.

 ‘Shall I give you a name?’ Sam suggests. ‘Yes, please. That would be nice’ I answer joyfully. Finally I get a name! And this wonderful guy gives it to me!

 ‘Before I give you one, let me think this through. I don’t want to give you a name you’d later forget’ Sam mumbles. I understand.

 ‘I’m happy you’re going to give me a name, Sam. I never had a name, nor did I needed one. But now? With you? It’s better if you can address me by a name. Gives me more personality, right?’ I say.

Sam nods.

 

We talk some more. Sam talks about the various jobs he’s done over the years. He also tells me about one of his trips to the sea when he was a kid. I can only imagine how the sea must look like.

 ‘If I weren’t a tree, I would ask you to take me there one day’ I tell him. Sam laughs.

‘That would be fun’ he says. ‘I’m sorry, I have to go for today. Maybe we should see each other at daytime? I don’t care what other people might think.’

I widen my eyes surprised. Would he be willing to do that? Just for me?!

 ‘It was nice talking to you, again. You’re one of the first, uh, living beings to actually listen to what I’m saying’ Sam praises me and then he does a thing I’ve seen people do so many times, but only with other humans and that is giving a hug.

Sam gives me, a simple tree, a hug. And I wished he would hug me forever. But to all nice things comes an end eventually.

For the first time in my whole life, I really wish I was a human. I wish I could hug him back.

The man pulls away from the hug and smiles. ‘Surprised?’ he grins. ‘Well, see you tomorrow. I promise I’ll have a name for you by then!’

 

\-----

‘Nate’ I repeat. I try to get used to that name. It’s like I would take food into my mouth and munch a few times to get the taste of it. ‘Nate. I like it. How’d you came up with that name?’

‘It is, _was_ , the name of my little baby brother I used to have’ Sam says, eyes staring down at his feet.

‘What happened to him?’ I say in an almost whispering tone. ‘He died before he was even born’ Sam sighs. ‘Talking like this, makes me think how it would be if I had a brother. A friend’ Sam looks up and makes eye contact. ‘Is it okay if I name you after him? Because you really mean much to me. Certainly after the tragic death of my parents. Talking with you somehow makes me cope with their death better. How weird that may sound like ’

 ‘I’m glad I’m could be of help to you. And that you consider me a friend. I’ve met some humans before, but none of them were nice to me’ I feel honored to be Sam’s friend. But I wish I could do more to comfort the lonely man.

 

***

Sam’s POV

 

I visit Nate on a regular basis. I enjoy the small talk we have. Some people have given me a weird look when they saw me talking to a tree, but I don’t mind.

We talk about life and death. We talk about my parents and myself and about Nate’s life as a tree. He tells me interesting historical events that happened way before the humans lived here.

He talks about the fear he had when people started to mow down the Living Forest. How he was afraid for the first time in his life.

Nate surely was interested in my trips around the world. He says he wished he would’ve been there too. To experience the wonders of the world.

 

‘You think I could be transported to somewhere else?’ Nate suddenly asks. I scratch my head and narrow my brows. ‘I dunno, Nate. You’re kind of a large tree. No offense here.’

 ‘You have a point’ the tree sighs. ‘Think I could become a human?’

‘Jeez, I have really no idea. We can’t ignore the fact that there must’ve been some ol’ magic going that made you trees talk in the first place’ I mumble. I grin. ‘Maybe you should wish upon a star.’

 ‘Are you serious?’ Nate asks. I shrug my shoulders. ‘You can always try. But I don’t happen to know some magicians or witches. Otherwise I could ask them’ I reply.

The rest of the minutes are spent in silence.

 

***

Nate’s POV

 

The same night I spot a falling star and I make my wish.

‘Dear stars or God or whoever is out there, if you can hear me, will you fulfill my wish, please? I want to become human. I want to experience the beautiful senses the way humans experience them. I want to be with the human Sam. He even gave me a name and considered me a friend. And just for that only, I want to love him back as an equal. He lost his parents, even his brother. I want to comfort him with more than just words! And some stingy branches aren’t going to help me with that. So please, turn me human!’

I sigh as nothing seems to happen. Of course, it might take some time, but still. Maybe Sam lied? But I want to believe. And what he said earlier on is true. If trees can talk, why not make a human out of a tree?

My thoughts start to wander and soon I feel myself “falling asleep”.

 

\-----

When I wake up, something isn’t right. I’m not feeling strong and I’m not standing where I’m supposed to stand. I suddenly feel _weird_. It’s an indescribable feeling.

It’s like I want to spit out my insides. I bent over and I see my hands. My hands. I have hands! Human hands! Did my wish come true?!

I spit on the ground. Slowly I start to take in my surroundings. I’m still in the park. The tree I used to be is gone of course. I see the shrine still is in place. I crawl over the soil. The sense of touch starts to kick in and I can feel the earth on my knees and hands. I laugh. My hands run through the earth and sand. This feeling is great. It’s so soft, but firm at the same time.

Then I feel something wet on both cheeks. I reach carefully with my fingers, making sure I don’t hit myself in the eyes. Tears. Am I crying? Or just tearing up because I feel new emotions?

 

Sam! I have to find Sam! He has to see this.

I try to crawl up, my legs are still weak and I fall back. I try again. When I succeed, I see my legs tremble underneath my weight. I waddle my way to the lamppost and before I fall again I grasp the pole with both arms. I breathe heavily from the new effort that’s called walking.

Next question comes in mind: where does Sam live and where can I find some clothes?

That’s true, I have to get dressed. Sam can’t see me like this. That would be embarrassing.

 

***

Sam’s POV

 

When I go to my favorite coffee shop –I always go there before I go to the office- it’s very crowded by the only TV the shop has.

‘Hey, Sam! Go take a look at this!’ the bartender calls me out as he sees me enter his shop. I push my way through the crowd and look at the small TV screen. Local news is on.

What I see is a confused man running around naked, waving his hands. Who is this man, I think.

 ‘Weird folks these days. Guy says he is Nate the tree. Also knows a guy with the same name as you’ one of the other regular clients informs me. I blink and look at the man on the screen.

‘Where is he now?’ I ask. ‘Probably the police office’ says another client. That’s all that I need to know. I rush off to get that guy.

 ‘Hey, Sam! Where you going? You know that guy?’ the bartender yells at me, but I don’t have time to respond anymore.

 

‘You know this guy?’ one of the police officers raises an eyebrow as he points at Nate who is now dressed up in prison fatigues. I nod.

‘Yeah, he is my crazy cousin. He’s calls himself a nudist. But I believe he might have schizophrenia’ I say, the latter in a low voice. ‘Didn’t knew he was in town.’ I laugh nervously. Hopefully they believe me.

I look at the man behind the glass. He smiles at me and waves his hand. He has brown hair, almost a scruffy face like me, but playful eyes. The man has quite the physique. I swallow.

 ‘Hey, uh, Nate. It’s me, your pal Sam. Hope you remember me?’

‘Sure! Can you take me out of here?’ Nate asks excited. I sigh. I glance over to the cop. ‘I’ll be right back and then I have you outta here’ I promise the other man.

After some paper signing I finally have the permission to get Nate out of jail.

 

‘From now on, all his actions will be my responsibility’ I promise the cops before walking away with Nate. He got spare clothes from the police office.

 ‘Thanks, Sam. I got worried you wouldn’t come for me. How did you know, anyway?’ Nate wants to know. I decide to take him home with me and tell the boss I’m feeling sick.

 ‘Saw you on the local news when I went to my favorite coffee shop’ I explain when we sit in my car.

‘These cars really scared the leaves off me’ Nate states as he finally adjusted into the passenger seat.

 ‘I understand. People dry way too reckless and way too fast nowadays’ I grunt. Now fasten that belt’ I show Nate  how to do this mundane thing and he feels proud when he succeeds his first try. I smile.

Teaching this new human the domestic chores is going to be fun, I think when I drive my car to the flat.

Nate ogles the tall building when we step outside. ‘You live here?’ he asks cheerful. I nod.

I point out one of the many windows. ‘Right there, only fourth floor. So it isn’t that high up. No worries.’

We walk inside and the other man gets startled when the sliding doors suddenly open before us. I grin.

‘It’s automatically programmed that when people walk near the doors, they slide open. Let me show you the elevator.’

I almost feel bad for Nate when he almost tumbles over when the elevator gets set in motion. He waddles out of it as fast as he can and I follow.

He counts the numbers of the doors. ‘That’s a large number of doors’ he states. I stop him at my door.

 ‘We’re here. Welcome to my home. Enjoy your stay’ I welcome the man. With childish excitement Nate takes in the view of my messy living room.

 ‘Sorry about the mess. I’ll clean it one day I swear’

‘Thanks for taking me under your wings’ Nate mumbles as he falls down on the couch, finally starting to relax a bit.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking about doing two more chapters. One about some domestic fluff and Nate getting used to being a human. The other will be the conclusion. This can change, though :P


	7. The Living Forest END

_Three weeks later_

Nate’s POV

 

I have finally gotten used to being a human. At first controlling my new body was a bit tricky. I stumbled a lot over my own feet the first few days. But now it has al become a habit, it has become all natural. But sometimes I still find myself trying to breathe normally.

Sam has helped me a lot. He tells about the small gestures humans use to communicate with each other without using words. It’s fascinating how much you can know about a person, just by looking how he or she behaves.

 

I feel like something has changed. I have changed. One of those changes is the way I look at Sam.

First, I only wanted to be a good friend. I think I’ve succeeded in that. But now I feel different. I don’t know how to describe the feelings I have towards the other man.

It’s like I want to be more than just a friend. Sometimes I have the urge to kiss Sam.

Whenever he looks at me and smiles, I start to feel weird. A nice kind of weird. It’s like my whole body gets warmer. As if I’m flying. I haven’t dared to discuss it with Sam, though. Maybe he thinks I’m exaggerating.

 

‘Are you okay?’ Sam’s friendly voice snaps me out of my worried thoughts. I nod.

‘I’m fine, thanks for asking. How about you?’ I ask, almost automatically. Sam smiles. There is that warm feeling again. ‘I’m fine too. But is there something you want to talk about? The last few days you seem a bit… off?’ Sam asks. On his face I read worry. I shrug my shoulders.

 ‘I don’t know’ I sigh. The other man walks over to me and I can feel my heart’s pace going up.

When Sam sits down with me on the couch and places a comforting hand on my shoulder I jolt a bit. My cheeks are flushed with red. I’ve learned you can get red cheeks when something embarrassing happens or if you like someone _a lot_.

 ‘You can talk about it, you know. Are there maybe new emotions? You feel something new?’ Sam guesses. I nod.

 ‘So, what do you feel? Can you describe it for me?’ I nod again.

‘Maybe you’ve noticed how I kind of avoided you the last few days?’ I start. ‘Yes, I do. So why is that?’

‘Well, whenever you’re close to me, I start feeling different. It’s like my whole body is getting warmer. And my face gets red too!’ I explain, trying to avoid his gaze. Sam laughs, which makes me look up to him and make eye contact.

 ‘Are you saying you’re in love with me?’ he grins. ‘Love. Maybe?’ I wonder out loud.

When I was still a tree, I sometimes overheard conversations of boys or girls who talked about the subject.

From what I understood, love was a very strong emotion. It could be beautiful or horrible. From what I understand, love is kissing each other and hugging each other. I’ve seen many people kiss each other intimately in the park when they thought no one was looking.

If I reflect on my own feelings, I could honestly say that I would like to kiss Sam. We’ve never done that.

 ‘Maybe’ I repeat.

 

***

Sam’s POV

Nate’s confession didn’t come out of nowhere. I had my suspicions. I just never asked him about it.

‘I, uhm, I’d really like to kiss you now, Sam. You’re a wonderful person and I love you very much!’ Nate says. His eyes are filled with determination. He leans over and clumsily tries to put his lips on mine. Instead, our noses bump into each other. I smile and pull away. Then I tilt my head a bit so we can have a proper kiss. Nate’s lips feel soft, while I have rougher lips. For a sec I close my eyes and when I open them, I see that his eyes are still closed. He looks cute, I think.

 ‘Did you like it?’ I ask him when I end our kiss. I feel how I blush as well. ‘It was nice’ Nate answers.  He then gives me a bright smile, twinkles in his eyes. ‘We should do it more often.’ I laugh.

 ‘Yes, maybe we should. I gotta admit, you’re pretty damn beautiful, Nate’ I confess. ‘Really?’ Nate exclaims and I nod.

 ‘You’re well built, a good physique and an enchanting smile that puts a smile on my face too’ I say.

‘Could you explain me again why you wanted to become a human?’ Nate scratches his hair.

 ‘I wanted to become a friend to you. Wanted to comfort you through your grief. And I thought: well, as a tree I can’t do much. I couldn’t hug your or give you a reassuring pat on the back. Now I can. But now I think I want to be more than just a friend’ Nate informs me. ‘W- would you like that?’ he hesitates when he asks.

‘I’ll have to see this through. But I still like you nonetheless’ comes my respond.

 

\-----

A week has passed since our confessions and I think we are lovers now.

I’ve taken Nate on various dates now. He really loves it, he tells me. We kiss, we hug and we sleep in one bed now. It’s a good life now. My criminal activities have stopped since Nate lives with me. I don’t want to bring him into any unnecessary danger. I don’t want to hurt him. The only criminal act I’ve done is forging some papers for Nate so he can have a job too.

He now works in a factory. The work is quite repetitive but he says he likes it. He talks a lot with his co-workers and the job is easy enough for him. With the both of us working, it’s a lot easier to pay the taxes and to control the household.

 

***

And just like that, Sam and Nate finally established their romantic relationship.

A few years later, it almost feels like Nate has never been a tree. It even sounds very silly, like it was all a dream.

Soon they’ll be wed and they’ll live happily ever after.


	8. The beast in the woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loosely based off Little Red Riding Hood
> 
> A small village is plauged by a large beast that lives in the woods. It kills a lot of cattle and chickens from the village.  
> The mayor despereately sends out all his best hunters to kill the beast. No one succeeds.  
> But one day a newbie from another village takes it upon himself to find and kill the beast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more a ficlet/drabble than a long story :P Hope you enjoy it though :D

Once upon a time, there was a small village that got pestered by a wild animal. Said animal slaughtered the cattle and ate all the chickens. The mayor didn’t have any option but to kill the beast.

He sent his best hunters to kill the monster. He sent The Bear, a man as big as a bear, first. But The Bear got lost in the darkness of the woods and was never been seen again. Thus the mayor sent Henry the Hacker. He was known for his experience with the axe. But Henry too failed to kill the beast. The beast had bit the axe in two and Henry had fled the woods, swearing he would never set a foot into the woods ever again. Many more men were sent into the woods to find the beast and kill it, but all had failed. Some men even didn’t survive their encounter with the ferocious animal.

The mayor didn’t dare to send the women. Because if the women would fail, then the village would soon die out. Literary.

 

The rumor of the doomed village spread around.

One young man from another village heard about the animal and decided to go look for it himself.

That young man called himself Nate the Great. Although his name might suggested he was someone who had done great things, it was actually the contrary.

Nate himself said that he was a treasure hunter, but in reality most people found him a glorified thief.

 

When Nate the Great arrived at the plagued village, he immediately got mocked by the villagers.

Thief, liar, fake. Those were some of the insults that got thrown at him upon entering the village. They asked him why he was here and if he was going to steal all their belongings.

 ‘Don’t worry. I’m not here to steal anything. I’m here for your monster problem’ Nate had assured them.

 ‘You? A nobody?’ the mayor had snickered. No one considered Nate good enough to defeat the beast, but there was no one who actually stopped him in trying. Maybe they were glad if Nate actually never returned from those wicked woods.

 

Nate departed in the early morning when thick clouds of mist still hung over the landscape.

He only had a small switchblade on him as protection and a flashlight on low batteries.

When the bells of the village ringed twelve ‘o clock, Nate still hadn’t found the monster. That didn’t stop him from giving up though. The whole time he felt like he was being watched by the beast.

Nate set up a small fire were he ate some lunch. After that, he continued to search for the animal.

 

It was during night time that he encountered the animal.

The animal he had been looking for was a giant bear. It had reddened eyes, a ferocious mouth with razor sharp teeth in it that glistened in the moonlight. Huge paws with killer claws that could cut through Nate like he was butter were all glistening too. Nate took a deep breath as he looked at the animal. He didn’t think of reaching to his pockets were the switchblade was hidden.

 ‘Whoa, easy, boy! No need to kill me, okay? Not gonna hurt you’ Nate tried to calm the beast. The bear growled at him and started to circle him, looking _curious_. It was then when Nate the Great noticed torn pieces of cloth on parts of the animal.

The bear approached closer and now Nate recognized the denim on the back of the bear. Could it be… ‘Sam?’ Nate formed the word on his lips but didn’t speak it out loud. The bear seemed to understand though and sat immediately on the ground, glaring at Nate.

A bit reassured, Nate closed the distance between them and let one hand stroke the head of the bear. He then sighed and shook his head.

After a moment of silence he finally spoke up: ‘Sam, it’s been years. I thought you left me forever. Who could’ve guessed you’ve become a bloodthirsty animal?’ The bear lowered his head as if ashamed of his deeds.

 ‘Now get yourself together, man. Come home’ Nate demanded.  And it was like Nate had spoken magical words, because thick clouds now hid the moon and the bear shuddered. It lost some hairs and then suddenly the bear was gone.

A naked man was sitting on the ground, looking all confused. Nate grinned. He gave the other man his jacket.

‘I didn’t want you to find out I turned into a monster. You probably would’ve killed me if you didn’t know it was me’ Sam said in a low voice.

 ‘The torn clothing gave away it was you, though’ Nate snorted.

 

 ‘All it took was to tell you to come home’ he snickered. What was he going to tell the villagers now?

‘What are you going to do with me? Hand me over to that corrupt mayor?’ the taller man asked as if he read Nate’s thoughts. Nate shook his head.

 ‘Of course not. I just hunt down another animal, pretending it to be the bear. Take the animal’s heart or something. _Or_ we sneak away to somewhere different. To a whole new place’ Nate said.

 ‘The latter seems the best for the both of us’ Sam nodded in approval.

‘Alright, first we get you some decent clothes and then we’ll leave this place. Forever.’

 

Nate and Sam finally reunited. They traveled the world together, looking for a cure for Sam’s animal transformation. Sadly enough, there was none to be found.

That complicated their lives a bit, but Sam learned to control the beast inside him and Nate helped through the difficulties. Most of the time they lived secluded from villages and they tried to evade big cities.

They set off for adventures together and they grew old together. They knew a happy ending.


	9. Chapter three: Heart Beats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based off: Cinderella
> 
> Sam is a troubled man who suffers from a depression.  
> One day he decides to get rid of his loneliness and visits a therapist to help him out. The therapist suggests him to do something totally different from what Sam usually does. And so he does.
> 
> Rafe is a young man witht he burden of following his father's footsteps as the head of a large business company.  
> Bored and tired of his dull life, Rafe decides to take matters into his own hands for once.
> 
> Their meeting is totally a coincidence but it will change both man forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm planning to do two or three more chapters after this one. Hope you enjoy this Rafe/Sam fic!

Samuel Drake is a middle aged man with not an interesting life. You could say he is an average person with no special curriculum vitae or any special achievements.

Although his life has taken a turn for the worse when not only his parents, but also his younger brother Nathan died in a train accident. Samuel himself was at home when it happened and when he saw the train wreck on the news. Ever since the accident Samuel hasn’t been himself anymore.

He drinks himself to oblivion, doesn’t go to work anymore and the taxes start to form a large pile in a corner of his house.

 

One day he couldn’t take it anymore and he decided to look for a therapist in town.

He mistrusted his therapist at first, but after a few visits he finally dared to open up to the older man.

 

 ‘I’d suggest you should do something what you normally never do’ the man suggested during one of Sam’s frequent visits.

 ‘Why should I’ Sam argued, still not sure if going to a therapist would solve his damned problems.

‘To break with your “schedule”. To do something completely different. It can give you a new challenge. Stepping outside your comfort zone can help sometimes. You should at least give it a try’ the other man sat in front of him and nodded. Sam sighed.

 ‘Maybe. I shall give it a try. Thanks for the help, Sully’ Sam gave his therapist a hand and left the office. On his way home, Sam thought about the various options he would like to try.

 

\----

Sam takes a deep breath in his car. The rain is pouring down already and he has yet to make it to the entrance of the building.

He can hit himself when he realizes he has forgotten his umbrella. This night couldn’t get any worse, now could it?

Annoyed already Sam leaves his car and makes a run for it. Luckily for him, the club he wants to visit is easy to find. Although it’s pretty dark outside and the street lights don’t offer much light, the entrance of the club has a large neon sign hanging outside. Sam is glad to see a small roof there as well. He quickly goes beneath it and almost bumps into the guard standing outside.

 ‘ID, please. I need to confirm you’re older than eighteen’ the man demands. Sam deems it unnecessary because he is pretty convinced that he is older than eighteen, heck even older than thirty. Reluctantly he shows is card and is let in. His eyes get used quickly to the dark of the club. Even before entering the music area, the loud noise is already heard in the entrance hall.

Sam scratches his wet hairs, takes another deep breath and walks into the moving crowd.

 

_A few hours earlier in one of the tallest skyscrapers of the same city_

 

A young man sat, almost hung in his chair and made a few twirls in it. He pressed one foot at his work desk and then pushed himself off, so the chair rolled him to the other side of the room.

The silent room was filled with a loud groan, coming from the man’s lips. ‘So much paperwork!’ The man left his chair to pick up some beer he had stored in one of the drawers. He popped the cap off and took a large swig. He sighed and put the chair back in its place. Annoyed he looked at the great pile of paper that still needed to be done.

When the man looks at his watch he groaned again. ‘It’s not even six PM’ he stated to himself.

Instead of signing the papers, he pushed his work aside and took his laptop. After some browsing, he finally found a card game that mildly interested him. But it made him get bored very quickly and he continued browsing the net.

He got interrupted by a sudden knock on his door.

 

‘Mister Adler?’, a younger woman stood in the entrance with a plate with food on it.

‘I’ve brought you some food. Your father insisted’ she said and with the man’s approving nod the stepped into the office. She placed the plate carefully on the desk and observed her boss.

 ‘How you holding up, mister Adler?’ she asked.

‘I’m doing fine, Betty. Just tons of work’ the man played with the fork, evading his secretary’s eyes.

‘I have to admit, the last week’s been tiring for you, sir. Why don’t you take a day off? Or an evening? As far as I know, you’ve been working overtime’ his secretary suggested.

 ‘You think I could? Even _if_ I wanted, my father wouldn’t allow it. “You gotta get used to this, son!” Not thinking about it’ the tired man shook his head, almost as if defeated.

 ‘Maybe that’s true, but you’re are a person after all. You should get some rest, do something you like instead of sitting here all day, closed off from the outside world!’ the secretary insisted.

 ‘You know, you could go to one of those clubs in the city’ she added. The young man raised an eyebrow. ‘You mean tonight?’ he wanted to know. The woman nodded.

 ‘I could “cover” you. Just for one night’ she smiled. ‘Even if you’d get caught, I’ll take the blame upon me’ she assured her boss.

 

After he finished his meal, the young boss prepared himself in the bathroom where he adjusted his bowtie. He observed his white suit in the mirror and felt suddenly very self-conscious.

He had never been to a club. He had only visited fancy parties of the company, which had of course a totally different atmosphere than a mundane night club.

 ‘You look stunning as always, mister Adler. You probably will be a sight to behold’ the secretary complimented her boss when he left the building. She quickly gave him a small piece of paper before he entered a taxi cab.

 ‘Might wanna check out this club. Highly recommended’ she explained. The man nodded and entered the car.

‘Raphael Adler. Please bring me to Heart Beats’ he demanded the driver.


	10. Heart Beats pt. 2

_An hour before midnight at Heart Beats_

 

Sam has finally gotten used to the loud music and the wild crowd dancing. He even dances himself a few times, but quickly separates him from the dancing people.

Instead he leans back against the bar with a fresh beer in one hand and a cigarette in another.

This definitely is another pace of life, he thinks as he watches men and women dance, sing and talk.

And almost in the middle of the crowd, Sam’s eyes make contact with other cool looking eyes. The eyes belong to a handsome young man with a suit that doesn’t seem to fit its surroundings. The suit is too fancy, but dashing nevertheless. Sam feels himself captivated by the other man. And maybe it’s the lights that make that man stand out even more.

Sam swears he feels his heart skip a beat when the man in the expensive looking suit approaches him. He casually strides over the dancefloor and stops when he stands in front of Sam. Before saying something, he quickly lets his eyes wander of Sam’s body, making him blush a bit. When their eyes meet again, the stranger gives Sam a smug smile before he finally speaks up. ‘Mind if you lend me a smoke?’ Sam slightly nods and without further due mister Handsome swiftly tucks out Sam’s lighter from his chest pocket and takes out his own cigarette box. He lights a cigarette and blows some smoke seductively into Sam’s flushed face.

 ‘You, uh, come here often?’ Sam finally manages to ask. Damn, that was a cheesy line, he thinks. The stranger chuckles and shakes his head. ‘No, first time here.’

 ‘Well, that makes two of us’ Sam is glad to have his words back. ‘So, what’s your name?’ he asks immediately after.

 ‘Raphael. But you can call me Rafe. Gotta be less professional in a place like this, right?’ the guy offers his hand and Sam shakes it.

 ‘Sam. Samuel Drake’, he says with a nod.

‘Nice to meet you, Sam’, Rafe says with a smile on his face.

 ‘Nice to meet you too.’ This could be an interesting night, Sam thinks and he is glad he took Sully’s advice to do something he’d  usually never do.

 

‘Tell me, Sam, how did you end up here? Don’t take this an offence, but you don’t strike me as the type who visits these kind of clubs regularly’ Rafe wants to know after they’ve talked quite about nothing. Sam doesn’t know how to react. Could he tell this man that he deals with depression? Isn’t going to a club about having fun and forgetting all your worries for a moment?

 ‘Well, uh’ Sam stammers as he tries to articulate properly. Rafe notices and sooths: ‘You don’t have to tell if you don’t wanna.’

 ‘No, it’s okay. Long story short, I suffer from depression. Visited a therapist and he suggested me to do something I normally don’t do often. To set my mind off negative things’

 ‘I’m sorry to hear that’, the other man mumbles.

‘How about you, though?’ Sam tries to change the subject about his motives. ‘Me? I got bored and my lifeless work didn’t really help to set the right mood’ Rafe answers.

 ‘Boring job?’ Sam grins as he sips from his beer. Rafe nods. ‘You don’t wanna know. Papers here, papers there. It gets very gray after a while. Maybe we should talk about more interesting things. Fun subjects. I know this question always comes in when talking with strangers, but what are your hobbies?’

 ‘My hobbies? Hehe, let me see… I used to go on adventurous vacations with my younger brother. Hiking, mountain climbing, sometimes we even tried to look for hidden treasures. Pretty silly right? I like camping. Smoking is one of my addictions’ Sam laughs and Rafe gives him a warm smile.

 ‘Interesting. Treasure hunter, hey? Sounds like fun to me. I myself don’t have much spare time, sadly. It’s actually a miracle I’m here tonight’ Rafe tells.

 

‘What do you think of the music?’ Sam asks. Rafe shrugs his shoulders. ‘Not really my type of genre. But it does nicely to get the bodies swinging, I guess. Do you ever dance, Sam?’

‘Not really. I’m a bit clumsy when it comes to that’

‘Shall we dance together? I can ask the DJ to play a more slower track instead of this funky music’ Rafe suggests and Sam feels his cheeks redden.

‘Aw, c’mon, don’t give me that look. It’ll be fun, just follow my lead. We can start of just swinging’ Rafe takes Sam’s hand in his own and drags him over to the dancefloor. Sam just manages to put his cigarette in one of the ashtrays before he finds himself on the dancefloor.

There is a strong smell of sweat, alcohol and smoke. People are pushing against him and Sam almost loses his balance. He tries to focus on Rafe instead.

The guy really knows how to swing. He even moves his hips in a very distracting way, which makes Sam almost drool.

 ‘Join the people, Sam!’ Rafe encourages and Sam slowly starts to move to the beat of the music.

He quickly gets lost in the moment and he and Rafe are dancing side by side. Sam shakes his arms wildly in the air and forgets his sorrows.

Suddenly he is met with Rafe’s hand. He hesitates a bit before he takes Rafe’s hand. Rafe twirls around until he stands very close to Sam. Their eyes meet and they don’t look away. Sam feels like they’re standing like this forever until Rafe spins away again. His face is full of enjoyment. His cheeks are red as well from all the dancing.

All of a sudden the music changes. The loud energy filled songs are now replaced by a softer and slower song. It’s definitely meant for partner dance.

 ‘Did you ask that DJ?’ Sam asks with suspicious on his face and Rafe only laughs. ‘No, it’s just coincidence. Now let’s waltz’

 ‘B- but I don’t know’ Sam almost panics but Rafe leads him through the different steps. He finally knows how to relax and gets the right rhythm.

He doesn’t miss a beat and while he is so concentrated on getting the moves right, he didn’t realise Rafe has rest his head against Sam’s chest.

 ‘You’re doing a great job’ the smaller man hums. It makes Sam’s heart race harder than normally.

‘Uh, thanks, I guess.’

The music fades and after two more relaxing songs the music changes back to its original groovy genre. Sam and Rafe pull apart and Rafe leads Sam to a more quiet area.

 

‘Phew, I’ve never had the pleasure to dance that fierce and passionate with someone’ Rafe complements Sam and it leaves him speechless.

The two men share a moment of silence while gazing into each other’s eyes. Sam almost drifts away in those intense eyes. He almost jolts when Rafe closes the distance between their faces.

Without hesitation the man places his hands against Sam’s cheeks and then crushes his lips against Sam’s. The scent is intoxicating and Sam shut his eyes closed. As if it’s a reflex he throws his arms around Rafe’s waist and pulls him even closer to him. He tightens his grip as if he doesn’t want the other man to leave him.

Rafe’s tongue slips out and presses against Sam, asking to enter. Sam happily parts his lips and meets the man’s tongue with his own. Rafe now moves one hand to the back of Sam’s head and presses his forehead strongly against Sam’s. They part their lips to catch their breaths.

 ‘You’re a captivating man’ Rafe breathes. After having shared several more wet kisses they part.

Sam’s head is clouded in ecstasy. But when he looks the other man in the eyes again, he suddenly feels a hint of shame and angst. He doesn’t know why. Maybe it’s the depression pulling strings in his head again. What had been a pure moment of bliss is now overwhelmed with regret and sorrow.

 ‘I, uh’ Sam takes a quick look on his watch. It’s precisely midnight.

‘I gotta go, Rafe. It was nice kiss- meeting you. But I have to go. Tomorrow is a big day for me’ Sam blabbers and runs off to the exit. Rafe tries to stop him. ‘Sam! Wait!’ But Sam is already outside. The raining apparently hasn’t stopped yet since he entered the club.

 

At home Sam lets his tears run freely and he could slap himself for his idiocy. Darn depression.

Sam falls back in his couch, throws his head back and lets out a pained groan.

‘Great, Sam. Just great! Now I’ll never see him again. I don’t even know his surname, nor have a number or anything!’ he exclaims to the silence in his room. Defeated he reaches for the bottle. He clenches his fist and grits his teeth. No, no more drinking tonight. No more addiction. But it is hard and it pains him. Sam’s so tired he can’t even sleep properly. Rafe is the only thing haunting his mind at the moment. He doesn’t’ even know if that’s a good thing or a bad.

 


	11. Heart Beats END

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Sam and Rafe ever meet again? Find out in the final chapter!

\---

Rafe is surprised and disappointed at the same time when he returns home, shortly after Sam’s sudden goodbye, if he could call it that.

He simply ignores the paperwork that has to be done and instead goes to bed early. His eyes look at the blank ceiling and he lets one hand run through his hair. His other hand clenches onto a watch.

It’s the one Sam accidentally lost before fleeing the club.

 ‘Samuel Drake, huh, what are you doing now? Do you even know you left something on the dancefloor?’ Rafe mumbles to himself. He can’t help but wonder.

That guy, he suffered from depression right? Hopefully he hasn’t killed himself already. The thought only leaves a bitter taste in Rafe’s mouth before he falls asleep.

 

The next morning he inspects Sam’s watch more carefully and comes to the conclusion that the thing is in fact tailored. Rafe can’t help himself but wonder where Sam even got the money to buy this quite expensive watch. And to have it made to fit perfectly, that would also cost money.

But then Rafe grins. This would make it much easier for him to track down the guy. He decides to look for the man via the Internet when he gets to his office.

 When he arrives there, he has to undergo some scolding of his father for not having his work done.

The old man goes on rambling about duty and money and how time is money. Rafe lets it go pass him and closes the door to his office and locks it with the key. He groans and grabs a cup of coffee that’s already been placed there by his secretary. There’s a little note next to the cup.

 _Hope you had a great night_ _J_ _Betty_ It makes Rafe smile. His secretary is the only staff member he actually gets along with. The others? Well they’re all just grumpy old men like his father.

 Rafe doesn’t waste any more time to set up his laptop and browse the web.

While doing so he feels like a stalker. Despite his efforts, there is nothing to be found about Samuel Drake. Only one article about a train accident in which the parents and the younger brother of the man died was found.

 ‘No wonder he suffers from depression’ Rafe says out loud as he reads the whole article.

He closes his laptop and finally concentrates on his work.

 

Around the afternoon Rafe feels like a lightbulb gets lit above his head.

He knows how to find Sam!

 

_One day later at Sam’s apartment_

 

Sam doesn’t go to work, even though he has sworn to himself to pick up the job again. But he doesn’t feel like going, so he doesn’t.

Instead he lays on his couch, lazily watching some soap on television. He does everything he can to forget about the previous night and how he kissed another man very passionately. He had never considered himself to be gay or anything else but a heterosexual. But this Rafe? He did things to him no woman had ever made him feel.

But trying to set those confusing feelings aside, he now watches TV.

 

Life, however, doesn’t like to make things easy for Samuel Drake. As soon as the commercials begin, there happens to be a local news flash.

The logo of the Adler Company appears on screen along with the large skyscraper of the company. Some intro music and then Rafe appears on the television. Sam wants to turn off the TV immediately, but hesitates when he hears the younger man speak.

 ‘Dear people, this must come as a shock. To see me, the future representative of the Adler Company. But I’m here to assure you there is no need to worry. In fact, I’m looking for someone I met last night. The person I’m talking about lost something, I believe, that is pretty important to them.’ Rafe then goes on to show a shining object and Sam reaches for his wrist.

  ‘My damn watch’ he curses.

 ‘I really hope, if you’re that person, you’ll come visit me at the skyscraper. This evening at eight PM. I really wish to meet you again, handsome stranger. Don’t be shy, please’ Rafe continues. It leaves Sam flabbergasted and he already doesn’t listen anymore to the other things Rafe talks about.

Stunned he shuts off the TV screen and welters through his living room, not knowing what to do.

He has lost the watch his parents gave him when he fled in a hurry and now this. Damn. How could he ever face Rafe again after that cowardice escape?

 

_The same evening at the Adler skyscraper_

Rafe has put on his white suit as the night before. He combs his hair back and fixes his bowtie for the fourth time. He inhales deeply and then lets out a worried sigh.

Apparently different people have reacted to his message on TV. It might’ve been a stupid idea, but he is sure Sam would’ve seen it too. He actually left the message on the television on purpose. He had suspected more people would’ve been drawn to it and that would only lower the suspicion of his father. His father probably thought it was some foolish publicity stunt to get more attention. Rafe actually couldn’t care less about what his father thought of it all. What was important now, was that Sam would be one of the “participants”.

 

Rafe enters the lobby to welcome the guests. He is startled when he sees the endless row of people. Men and women alike are standing in the room, waiting and longing. Some of them have dressed up in their, seemingly, best clothes.

Rafe tries to hide his annoyance and tries to be as welcoming as possible. The evening will be long and hopefully Sam doesn’t disappoint me, Rafe thinks as he steps up to talk to the people.

 

None of those people are Samuel Drake, the strangely odd charismatic smoker with the rough appearance but probably with a heart of gold. He almost crosses away all the women on the long list.

None of those people are fitting for that watch. It’s almost a miracle.

At the end of the evening Rafe is exhausted. In his living room he slams a fist to the wall. He curses and wonders why Sam hasn’t shown up.

Anger quickly makes place for angst. What if Sam was too shy to show up? What if he has really killed himself because of the pressure? Rafe doesn’t’ want to think about it, but it is the only thing that’s on his mind right now.

Maybe he should try to consult the Yellow Pages. How could he have not thought about that?

Rafe almost rushes to his laptop and almost trips over some books. He hisses and focuses on his laptop screen.

 ‘C’mon, Samuel Drake, you can’t not exist!’ But his searching fails again. Maybe Sam lives on the old address of his parents? It’s then when Rafe realizes how he almost knows nothing about the other man at all. It makes him feel desperate.

 

_Three days later at the Adler skyscraper_

Sam had thought about bringing some beer with him to loosen his tongue, to make things go smoother. But then he had hold back that thought and deemed it cowardice. No, he would face Rafe in a sober state. It wouldn’t be easy.

The man has mulled three four days straight about how to handle this situation. When he enters the main gate of the building he feels his legs weaken with every step he takes.

How could he be so stupid to not go to the specific day? Rafe hadn’t used the TV to get his message across for nothing. But Sam had been too nervous to go, which led to this nerve wrecking situation.

 What if Rafe had given up already? What if he didn’t even want to see a coward? Why would Rafe want to spend time with someone who is actually less rich as he? Would Rafe parents even want a poor guy like him in the family? What about Rafe’s position as the future leader of the Adler Company? Once again Sam’s head is filled with various worse case scenarios. But he doesn’t get the chance to worry anymore, because he now finds himself at one side of Rafe’s quarters.

Sam’s heart rate goes up and he even feels a bit nauseous. He probably is shaking like a leave in the wind, he thinks.

Suddenly the door swings open and a woman stands in the entrance. She smiles to Sam. She turns her head a bit and Sam can hear Rafe say something.

 ‘My boss now invites you to his office’ the woman tells him and then walks away. When Sam enters the room, the woman closes the door behind him.

Rafe sits in his chair, his back turned to Sam. Sam makes the first move. ‘Hello, Rafe.’ Silence.

‘Samuel Drake, the man who doesn’t leave any trace on the internet. I didn’t even find you in the Yellow Pages’ Rafe eventually speaks up and turns around his chair, finally facing Sam. Rafe’s fingers are crossed and he stares at him with piercing eyes.

 ‘I’m sorry’ is the only thing Sam manages to say. ‘I- I really wanted to go. B- but, there were- I had so many doubts whether to face you again or not. And ‘ Sam trails off and Rafe stops him by raising one hand.

 ‘You got me worried there for a sec. I even thought you might’ve killed yourself. I mean, with your depression and all. But I also was a bit angry at you. For not showing up’ Rafe confesses. Sam is surprised. ‘You mean that?’ Sam stammers and Rafe gives him a smug grin.

 ‘Of course, Sam! We may not know each other a lot, but what I do know is that I want to care for you. Want to be with you. Get to know each other, not only on a friendly level but also a romantic one. That’s why I kissed you’ Rafe says and just thinking about the kiss makes Sam blush.

 ‘…or you don’t want a romantic thing?’ Rafe hesitates when he says that.

‘No! no! I mean yes! Yes I’d like us to be together!’ Sam answers immediately. Rafe smiles.

‘Come over here’ Rafe pats his hand on the desk. Sam walks over to the desk and looks Rafe in the eyes. He has dark circles under his eyes.

 ‘You’re tired? Sam guesses and the other man nods. ‘Worked too much. Again. But don’t you worry about me. Tell me, why didn’t you dare to come on the day I asked? To my surprise, lots of people showed up, but none of them were as beautiful as you’ Rafe says.

 ‘I was afraid of lots of things. I also worried about your status in the company and all’ Sam explains.

‘Really? You’re worried about my job? How about my feelings, Sam? Anyway, I wouldn’t let my father affect my relationships. If I need to, I’d even run off with you if that is what it takes to be with you’ Rafe snorts.

 ‘Wouldn’t that be a harsh and abrupt decision?’ Sam wants to know. ‘Like you said, we don’t know each other that well and-‘ Rafe halts him and says: ‘Than we make sure to get to know each other very well!’

Rafe gives Sam a warm smile and then proceeds to play a bit with Sam’s hair. ‘You don’t have to overthink that much! It isn’t good for your health. Besides, I like it more when you’re happy. Just like you were on the dancefloor’

Sam returns the smile. His gaze lowers to the desk where his watch lies.

 ‘Ah, yes, about that. I hope it still fits’ Rafe remarks jokingly as he tries to put the watch around Sam’s wrist. And as expected, the watch fits perfectly.

 ‘My parents gave it to me when I was sixteen. Ever since we had to adjust the wristband every time I grew ’ Sam informs the other man with a small laugh. ‘So how are things going to be from now on?’

Rafe frowns his head and mumbles something.

 ‘We’ll date, okay? And if my dad doesn’t support our relationship, then I’ll go to your home!’ Rafe’s eyes are already filled with determination.

Sam laughs. ‘At the moment I share an apartment with two other guys, although you might not see them always.’

 ‘So _that_ is the reason why I couldn’t find your address’ Rafe exclaims.

‘You stalker!’ Sam jokes. ‘Well, it kind of was’ Rafe admits with a blush across his cheeks.

‘You look adorable when you blush, Rafe’ Sam grins and Rafe’s eyes widen. ‘Really?’

 ‘Really’ Sam says and he presses a soft kiss on the other man’s head.

 

_One day later_

Rafe makes the announcement that he has found the man who he was looking for on TV. He also tells the people he planned to live together with said man.

This of course led to some controversies but Rafe didn’t let it get to him. Sam went on living in the Adler Skyscraper with Rafe. After a whole discussion with his parents, Rafe convinced them that having a relationship with another man wouldn’t affect his work or his place in the company.

In fact, he assured them that it was the twenty-first century and that people should be more open minded.

 

_One and a half year later_

Sam and Rafe finally marry each other. Instead of going on a typical honeymoon, they go off to a Mediterranean island to look for treasures together.

With their return, they also did brought some real gold with them. This is the start of a new branch in the Adler Company. This branch now concentrates on archeology and old buried treasures with Sam as the head of the branch.

The two men often set off for a new adventure and they live happily ever after.


End file.
